Ear of Newt

Iron Maiden guitarist Dave Murray's life was altered by the sound of Hendrix's wah

by Steve Newton on July 22nd, 2012 at 4:30 PM
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      Countless old-school rockers, when asked what inspired them to take up music in the first place, point to seeing the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show back in 1964. But the transcendent sight of the Fab Four invading America wasn't what got Iron Maiden guitarist David Murray to devote himself to a life in the earbusting arts.

      As the 55-year-old picker explained from Detroit the other day--when he called to promote his band's July 29 Vancouver show--it was a much heavier sound that caught his ear as a kid and refused to let go. As a troubled teenager in London, England, he heard Jimi Hendrix' "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" on the radio and everything changed.

      "I heard that in the car way back," he recalls, "and it was an inspiration, really. You know you hear something--an instrument--and you can't quite figure out what it is. And so it was the wah pedal that really got me."

      After that life-altering experience Murray started delving into the music of Hendrix, and a year later, at 16, he started his first band. A few years after that he auditioned for Iron Maiden, and the rest is metal history.

      For more from Murray--including his choices for fave Maiden guitar solo and album--see the feature story in this week's Georgia Straight. Read it on paper for that old-school Hendrix vibe.

      You can follow Steve Newton on Twitter at twitter.com/earofnewt.

      Comments

      1 Comments

      Hendrix Was Murdered

      Jul 23, 2012 at 4:16am

      But he remains immortal.

      He was, like John Lee Hooker said, a rare “monster of a talent.”
      Of course Miles Davis would go to his funeral. :)

      He wielded his guitar like a weapon, like any true guerilla warfare fighter would (Machine Gun, Voodoo Child, Peace in Mississippi, Star Spangled Banner, New Rising Sun.....etc.)

      There are some amazing African-American artists who have come to this city.

      Being in the presence of Dave Honeyboy Edwards (age 84 at the time) and Robert Lockwood Junior (age 90!) were such incredible experiences. When Robert Lockwood performed the songs of his one-time stepfather, Robert Johnson, my god, words can’t explain it.

      Thanks for your articles on Buddy Guy. You really know your stuff.